Fear
by EmilyRiddle
Summary: Hannibal Lecter is not accustom to the feeling of fear. He had thought himself rid of the pesky emotion, yet here he was feeling the small tendrils of fear leaching their way into his traitorous heart. Not fear for his own life as he fought against Tobias but fear for Will Graham.


Hannibal Lecter is not accustom to the feeling of fear. He had thought himself rid of the pesky emotion after he had finished hunting and torturing Misha's killers. Yet here he was feeling the small tendrils of fear leaching their way into his traitorous heart. Not fear for his own life as he fought against Tobias but fear for Will Graham.

Will had immediately come to Hannibal to confess his kissing Alana and needing some stability. Hannibal had felt an immediate jealousy but he could not pin point where it had come from. Was he jealous of Will getting to steal a kiss from Alana or was he jealous of Alana because she was the one to press her lips to Will's? Hannibal narrowly avoided a well-placed punch from Tobias when he realized that he was indeed jealous of Alana.

Dr. Bloom was a wonderful therapist and a good friend but she was not what Will needed. She was not strong enough to bring Will back from the edge of the darkness yet she played at it like she was. Will was not something that you could explain with text books and wishful thoughts. Will was a new breed of animal that had yet to discover his full potential, a potential that Hannibal wished to nourish. Hannibal knew that the only way to push Will far enough to the edge was to force him into situations where his instincts and empathy would be forced to take control. That is why he had originally sent him into Tobias' den to interrogate him. Hannibal knew that Tobias had promised to kill anyone who made any inquiries about the murder and he had offered Will up as sacrifice. If Will managed to live it proved that he was strong enough to survive the fall.

Will was stubborn and always found ways to fight Hannibal's subtle manipulations. Therapy sessions would be redirected until Hannibal found himself indulging in bits of his personal history. Will would never give without taking something in return yet he was always a selfless creature. Will had confided in him how good it had felt to take Garrett Jacob Hobbs' life and how he felt that he had killed Marisa Shore. Will was empathizing with the ripper and didn't even realize how close he was actually becoming. The thought of how close Will was becoming excited Hannibal, whether it was the thrill of the chase or the thought of a protégé possibly a partner. At the core of Will all he wanted was family, someone to look past all of his faults and accept him. If he proved himself, if Will survived, Hannibal would give him what he desired.

Hannibal had not anticipated the slice of fear he felt when Tobias entered his office announcing that he had killed two men. Hannibal knew that as soon as he divulged the information that Will would go running. He also knew that Tobias would not be ready to run unless he had met the enigma that was Will Graham. Hannibal could tell by the wounds that Tobias had already acquired that Will had been there and had fought back but had he survived? Had Will been smart enough to take some back up with him or had he gone in alone? Will had an uncanny knack for surviving yet Hannibal had not heard from him in hours.

A blinding sharp pain radiated from Hannibal's leg as he realized that Tobias had stabbed him. Hannibal was not a man ruled by the limitations that pain provided and had long since learned how to force his body to function around it. This feral animal would not get the better of him. Tobias may be larger and slightly a bit stronger than he was but he had the advantage, Tobias was reckless. He thought he could intimidate Hannibal because he happened to be in the right spot at the right time. Tobias was a man who had to use sharp wire and distracting moves to gain an advantage. Who allowed his prey to blabber on and on until Hannibal felt he had to take action if only to prevent the oncoming headache that this encounter would ensure. He thought he could share a bond with Hannibal over a shared interest. Tobias killed because his string supplies were running low; Hannibal was a hunter who picked off the rude and undeserving.

A momentary lapse of judgment had Hannibal on his back with Tobias looming over him with the knife. Hannibal knew his inner sanctum better than anyone and quickly glanced around trying to figure out the best way to rid him of his pest. Hannibal's eyes briefly caught on the stag statue in the corner before quickly grabbing a fountain pen and stabbing into Tobias's arm. The conflict continued until finally Hannibal gained the advantage. Dislocating his arm and rendering it useless was painfully easy for Hannibal to do. Like most big creatures Tobias relied entirely too much on brute strength and allowed for pain to slow him down. A well placed jab in the wind pipe had Tobias on his knees and gasping for air. Part of Hannibal mourned that this fight would end so soon. With a satisfying thunk Hannibal efficiently put down the giant beast. He allowed himself a few moments by his piano composing the beginning of a new piece before pulling out his phone and calling Jack Crawford to come clean up his mess.

Hannibal was tired and having to deal with the numerous paramedics and police officers wanting to be the first to treat him or the first to take his statement did not help the headache that had effectively manifested itself. Hannibal steadily ignored them all until Jack Crawford entered the room looking solemn. Hannibal felt the fear rear its ugly head and just knew that Crawford was here to inform him that Will was dead. Hannibal felt somewhat responsible for leading Will to his death and somewhat disappointed that he did not come through as he had always done.

When Will walked into the room relief flooded Hannibal's system and he felt more at peace than he ever had in his entire life. The man who kept defying death and kept rising from flames had done so once more. Hannibal could not help the sigh of relief that escaped his mouth and Will immediately made his way over to Hannibal. Even subconsciously Will sought out Hannibal's presence.

"I was worried you were dead." Hannibal stated softly only addressing Will even though Jack stood by obviously trying to get his attention. Will gave him his small smirk in response. Hannibal felt the slight fire of arousal upon seeing that smirk. Hannibal took a moment to appreciate that Will was really in front of him and that he was in one piece before turning to address attention to whatever Jack was going on about. Hannibal gave his statement being mindful to make himself sound more scared and timid than he actually was. Hannibal knew that Will could sense that something was different but did not call him out on it. Hannibal wondered if deep down Will already knew the truth and was just waiting for the right moment, waiting until his own monsters were unleashed before allowing himself to believe that he was not alone.

Will asked his questions as he tried to piece together what had happened here. Hannibal knew that Will always seemed to have trouble solving puzzles that involved Hannibal personally. They both were thankful for it. Will was thankful because it meant that when he was around Hannibal everything was silent and he wouldn't pick up on anything that Hannibal did not want him to. Hannibal was thankful because it would be all too easy to make a mistake if he knew Will would be so close to knowing. His one main character flaw was that Hannibal liked to show off too much.

Hannibal felt that he should get an award for his superb acting when Jack finally relented with his questioning and went to stalk around the room. As soon as Jack was far enough away Will moved until he could perch himself on the corner of the desk. Will took a moment to observe some of the more obvious injuries and could feel a steady roll of pain emitting from Hannibal. It through him off a bit because he was not use to feeling any emotions coming from Hannibal and it humbled him as he realized that he was one of the only ones privileged enough to be allowed to feel Hannibal's emotions.

"I feel like I dragged you into my world." Will acknowledged with a sigh. Hannibal had to scoff. Here was Will who had nothing to do with any of this trying to lay blame upon himself. It was sweet that Will thought himself responsible for protecting Hannibal from this one aspect of his life. He would soon learn that he could let go and allow Hannibal to protect and guide him. The wheels were already whirling and plans would soon be set into motion but until then he had a part to play.

"I got here on my own but I appreciate the company." Hannibal replied making direct eye contact with Will. The smile that he received in answer was more than enough to make it all worth it.


End file.
